ADText is an interdisciplinary curriculum, published by the Advertising Educational Foundation. It strengthens the AEF mission of enriching the understanding of advertising and its role in culture, society, history and the economy. The 25 units of ADText constitute a broad overview of the place of advertising in society. Each unit may be used singly or in combination with others, depending on each user’s interests.

Who uses ADText?

Anyone who has access to the Internet may use ADText. The primary users are professors and students at the college level and persons who work in the advertising industry.

How is ADText used on college campuses?

ADText is an online textbook, for use in whole or part, in college courses that examine the place of advertising in American and global society. Single chapters on specific topics (e.g., gender, ethics, China, Brazil, etc.) are used as supplements in courses on gender, ethics, regional studies, American history, globalization, etc. The full set of chapters is used as a main or supplementary textbook for courses on advertising and society.

How is ADText used within the advertising industry?

ADText is used in industry training programs that focus on advertising’s role in and effect on society. In part or in whole, it helps introduce new recruits into the industry to the social, cultural, and historical context of their work. ADText units also serve as provocative background for lively and informative discussions among more seasoned industry professionals.

The author of ADText is Professor William M. O'Barr (william.obarr@duke.edu), a cultural anthropologist who specializes in advertising and its relation to society, culture and history. He is author of Culture and the Ad: Exploring Otherness in the World of Advertising (1994) and Founding Editor of the online journal, Advertising & Society Review. Professor O’Barr received his B.A. from Emory University and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He holds appointments in the Department of Cultural Anthropology, the Department of Sociology, and the Department of English at Duke University in Durham, NC. The senior editorial assistant for ADText is Emma Hymas (emma.hymas@duke.edu).

What is the AEF?

The Advertising Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization established by contributions from the advertising industry to forge links between the advertising industry and colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. Its programs include Inside Advertising (which provides guest speakers for classes and other on-campus programs), the Visiting Professor Program (a summer internship program that places college and university professors in advertising agencies to obtain first-hand experience and knowledge), Advertising & Society Review (an online journal founded in 2000 that publishes academically peer-reviewed articles about advertising and society), and ADText.

Do ADText units need to be used in any particular order?

No. ADText units need not be read in any particular order but rather as the user prefers.

What is the relationship of ADText to Advertising & Society Review?

ADText units were originally published as supplements to individual issues of Advertising & Society Review. The ADText homepage was created to serve as a virtual Table of Contents for the various units and a user-friendly means of accessing the individual units. By arrangement with Project Muse of the Johns Hopkins University Press, all ADText units are open access to all users without charge.

The Advertising Educational Foundation thanks SAG and AFTRA, the Unions representing professional performers, for generously granting permission to use their Union members' performances in the commercials on our website.